Friday, January 13, 2012

Patients in Vegetative State Communicate through MRI

In a recent MRI study of vegetative state patients they showed an ability to communicate in terms of yes and no answers by way of the MRI. This is evidence that these patients still have a conscious existence but just can not normally break through to communicate.  It vindicates the claims of families that their vegetative state family member was showing signs of responding to them. This signs have normally been dismissed by doctors as reflect actions but this study suggests that the families were right after all.

While not necessarily proof of the existence of the sole, such results are what one might see if the mined is separate from the brain. In such cases the brain may be all but gone but the person is still there but simply has a problem reaching out to the outside world. In such a case the person would seem largely unresponsive but might be able make small efforts such as moving eyelids that could be interpreted as reflexive.

However the statuesque in neuroscience is the totally naturalistic and so it is natural for them to dismiss any reaction of vegetative state patients as totally reflexive. On factor against this totally naturalistic view is evidence that synaptic activity requires quantum tunneling on demand that has a 1 in 10 million chance of happening such that the mind has to be independent of synaptic activity and capable of controlling it, suggesting the existence of the sole.

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